


Waiting for You

by my-man-mando (orphan_account)



Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Gender Neutral, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, No Pregnancy, No Sex, One Shot, Reader-Insert, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sweet, no y/n
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29259228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/my-man-mando
Summary: When Reader is running late, Marcus doesn’t care how long he has to wait. He will always hold dinner until Reader arrives.
Relationships: Marcus Pike/Reader, Marcus Pike/You
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	Waiting for You

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted on tumblr @my-man-mando. Feel free to drop by and say hi! Hope you like it, lovelies! I dearly love any and all feedback so please do leave comments of any kind at all! Keysmashes, hearts, anything!

“I should stay home with you,” I said for the fifth time that day.

Marcus steered me toward the door. “Absolutely not. These are your friends and you haven’t seen them in two years. Go.”

“But it doesn’t feel right to leave you! You took this weekend off to paint the bathroom and now I’m ditching you.”

Marcus laughed softly. “Honey, it’s only for an hour or two. I’ll be fine.”

I patted my jacket pockets, searching for my keys. Marcus held up his hand, my keys dangling from his finger.

“You left them on the counter yesterday,” he said. “I knew you’d forget them.”

I let out a breath of relief and stepped closer, cupping his face in my hands. As I brushed a quick kiss to his lips, his hands settled lightly at my waist. 

“What would I do without you?” I said.

He pressed the keys into my hand. “You’d be late for your brunch.”

“I can’t be late if I stay home.”

Marcus patted my waist, turned me around to face the door, and kissed my shoulder.

“I’ll make sure there’s plenty of painting leftover for you when you get back,” he said.

***

I arrived at the restaurant five minutes early. Despite the guilt of leaving Marcus to all that painting on his own, I was looking forward to seeing my friends again. Families, careers, and dating had taken their toll, pulling us in different directions. Only after weeks of group chats and cancelled plans had we finally settled on a place and time to meet up that worked for everyone.

But when I stepped in and scanned the room, I spotted my friends at a table, plates scraped clean, remnants of dessert polished off and leftovers boxed beside them. 

My stomach plummeted.

Was I late? Had I written down the wrong time?

Shannon spotted me and waved me over.

“There you are!” she said.

Fighting to plaster a smile on my face, I gestured to the table.

“Weren’t we supposed to meet at noon? Or did I miss something?”

Shannon gave a dismissive flip of her hand. “No, you’re right on time! I decided to grab a table early to dodge the lunch rush. Then I was texting Lex about her kids and she found out I was here so she popped in to keep me company.”

Adam piped up. “The rest of us started trickling in after that. We were _so hungry._ Do you smell those breadsticks? It’s pure torture, sitting here and not being able to eat them!” He grimaced. “We just couldn’t wait for you any longer.”

“But...I’m not even late,” I said.

Shannon patted the empty chair beside her. 

“It’s okay, you’re here now. Come sit down. We’ll hang out while you eat.”

“Actually,” Adam started with a wince as he held up his phone. “I can’t stick around. Boyfriend is having car problems. Gotta go.”

Lex pushed her chair back. “I’m out, too. I left two toddlers at home with my mom. They start screaming for lunch at quarter to one like clockwork so I better go.” As she passed me, she nudged me with her shoulder. “It was good to see you, though! Maybe we can chat some other time! God only knows when but I’m sure we’ll figure it out!”

I sank into the empty chair as the table emptied out. Shannon rested her chin in her hand with a sigh.

“Gosh, I’m so tired. It’s great to see everyone again but I’ve had enough socializing for a week! I could use a nap.”

The conversation fizzled away to silence and I suddenly found my appetite had vanished.

*** 

I trudged in the door and through the kitchen, tossing my keys on the counter. Marcus’s voice drifted through the apartment.

“Hey, honey.” He stepped into the kitchen, paint staining his fingers, a pencil stub tucked behind his ear. He found me leaning against the counter, plucking at an orange that I didn’t have the heart to eat. “How was your brunch?”

I sighed and set the orange aside, untouched. “It didn’t happen.”

“What do you mean? Did they cancel on you?”

I spread my hands and let them fall to my sides, palms slapping my thighs.

“They all showed up early. Started eating without me. By the time I got there, they were done.”

Marcus frowned and stepped toward me, reaching out to take my hand. Pale blue paint was streaked across his fingers as he rubbed circles over my knuckles.

“That’s not fair,” he said. 

“I don’t know if it just...happened that way, or if they forgot to text me but - “

I broke off. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. Was it selfish to wish that they had waited for me? They had lives of their own and I couldn’t really expect them to put everything on hold for one person. But I couldn’t help feeling left out, forgotten and overlooked. 

“It still stings,” Marcus finished for me.

I gulped down the welling frustration I’d felt ever since I showed up in that restaurant. Marcus curled his fingers around the back of my neck and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against the top of my head.

“Told you I should have stayed home,” I mumbled against his shoulder.

Long before I was ready to let go, Marcus drew back to look at me. 

“If it’ll help, there’s an entire wall of the bathroom that needs painting,” he said. “I left it all for you.”

I took a deep breath and slowly released it, pushing the disappointing brunch to the back of my mind. Immersing myself in an afternoon of painting with Marcus sounded like heaven right now.

“I’d like that.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “Let me go change first.”

“I could help with that if you want,” he replied, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth. He tried to loop his arms around my waist but I wiggled away.

“Then we wouldn’t get any painting done, would we?”

Marcus caught my hand, guiding my arm around his shoulders.

“A change of plans is fine with me,” he replied, peppering ticklish kisses up my neck until I squealed with laughter.

*** 

**TWO MONTHS LATER**

“No, no, no,” I muttered. “This can’t be happening.”

First, my boss kept me late at work by forty-five minutes. 

Then I dropped my phone as I fumbled for my car keys. The screen was black, unresponsive, and I couldn’t even text Marcus to let him know where I was.

And now...this. Traffic stood at a dead stop.

I thought of Marcus sitting in that restaurant alone. Checking his phone only to find no word from me. For the past two weeks, I’d been looking forward to this date. Our schedules had been too erratic to spend much time together lately. And when we did, we were both too tired to do anything more than doze off on the couch while a movie played in the background.

But our carefully laid plans were falling apart. To think I was disappointing Marcus right now hurt more than anything else. He didn’t deserve to believe, even for a moment, that I was standing him up...

By the time traffic cleared up and I arrived at the restaurant, I was two hours late. I felt sick as I searched for Marcus, dreading the thought that he’d given up and gone home. 

There.

At a table in the corner sat Marcus, thumbing at his phone’s screen. I hurried over, out of breath and frazzled as I dropped into the seat across from him.

“I am so, so sorry, Marcus,” I said in a rush. “My boss decided this stupid pile of paperwork couldn’t wait until tomorrow and it had to be done today. And then I dropped my phone because I’m a giant klutz and I couldn’t get it working again. On top of all that, I hit this traffic from hell and I - “

Marcus held up a hand. “Hey, hey, slow down, it’s okay, it’s fine.”

Guilt still gnawed at my conscience. I smoothed my hands down my shirt and tried to catch my breath.

“Since I'm sure you already ate ages ago, let’s just leave,” I said. “You must be so tired of waiting. And it’s been a long day. And you have to work early tomorrow. You should really get home so you can sleep.”

Marcus reached across the table and took my hand. 

“Honey,” he said with gentle sincerity. “I haven’t eaten yet. I wasn’t going to start without you.”

He said it so simply, as if the idea was absurd and he couldn’t even fathom it.

“I knew you would show up eventually,” Marcus continued, giving my hand a squeeze. “I will always wait for you, sweetheart. You know that, right?”

I nodded but my throat was too tight to speak. Marcus tilted his head to catch my eye but there was a strange, twisting feeling in my stomach and I couldn’t look at him right now.

 _I will always wait for you_ echoed in my head over and over.

“Are you hungry?” Marcus coaxed, nudging a menu toward me.

Again, I nodded, speechless, keeping my gaze fixated on my plate. Something...something was cracking inside me.

“You could have left,” I said, my voice dry and rough. “You could have been angry. Instead...you stayed. And you’re not even annoyed about it.”

Marcus looked baffled. “Why would I be? It’s not your fault those things happened.”

“But - “

My voice cracked. Marcus raised his eyebrows, encouraging me to continue. I shook my head and glanced away, biting the inside of my cheek. One second after another ticked away in silence.

At last, in a very small voice - the only voice I could muster - I spoke.

“My own friends didn’t even wait for me.”

I closed my eyes and a tear slipped down my cheek. Two months had passed since that brunch and it still felt as tender as the day it happened.

Marcus slid his chair closer to me, skimming his hand down the back of my head. His palm came to rest curved around my neck, a comforting cradle of reassurance. He pressed a lingering kiss to my temple, granting me time to compose myself again.

“Sounds like you’ve had one hell of a day, babe,” he said softly. “Why don’t we just order dessert and take it home?”

“But you just wasted two hours here. For what? Dessert to-go?”

Marcus shrugged with a faint smile. He thumbed away a tear that had spilled down my chin.

“Totally worth it. The chocolate cake here is to die for.”

“Marcus,” I replied in a tone that clearly said, _I know what you’re doing._ “You can’t be serious.”

Marcus took my hand and brought it up to his mouth, kissing my knuckles.

“When it comes to you, yes, I am.”

He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine.

“I love you,” he whispered. “And I don’t care how long I have to wait if that’s what it takes to keep you in my life.”

For a moment, I sat there in shock. Sometimes, I couldn’t believe the things Marcus said, convinced I was actually dreaming, doomed to wake up any second now. But Marcus was still looking at me and his words settled firmly between us. Steadfast and loyal and all mine.

I looped my arms around Marcus’s neck as I kissed him, a different kind of tears - of gratitude, appreciation, disbelief, love - stinging my eyes this time. His hands splayed warm and wide across my back.

“Let’s grab that cake and get out of here,” I mumbled against his mouth.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
